"I consider the whole "arrogant/presumptuous" charge by McCain to be a racist wolfwhistle. When has supposed (or real) arrogance ever been a major campaign theme?"

Really, DutchessDem? The last time supposed (or real) arrogance was a major campaign theme was, oh, last time there was a presidential election (Remember Kerry?) The time before that was...the previous Presidential election (Remember Gore?)

You're right that "arrogant" is Republican dog-whistle, but not for uppity black. It's Republican dog-whistle for intellectual or educated. The current crop of Republicans think that Americans don't like educated people, so they downplay their own educations, while at the same time emphasizing the educations of their Democratic opponents.

Bush did about as well as Kerry in College, and they went to the same school. But after college, Bush adopted a fake folksy dialect ("nookyulur" instead of nuclear), while Kerry moved toward the Boston Brahman accent. Bush and his surrogates constantly harped on Kerry's "arrogance," meaning, he's a tiresome intellectual. Same with Gore. Same with Dukakis, by the way.

It has little to do with race.

McCain took advantage of Obama's slip, which was a cute applause line, until now, and then, HE played the race card.

The Republicans are experts on dirty tricks. They've probably gone over every word Obama has said and were waiting for him to repeat that line - he's said it a lot and it always gets a laugh, but of course, that's because he's saying it to his supporters.

I think they were ready to pounce as soon as he said it. Republicans have been playing the race card since Nixon, so this isn't something new. Unfortunately, it usually works for them.

I thought the Brit/Paris ad was disgraceful, arrogant and presumptuous. John McCain defended it at a Townhall today, saying, "I'm very proud of that ad." He went on to say that he had to use the ad to show us what Obama is really like.

I give McCain high marks for dirty tricks and really, really low marks for running a "civil campaign."

trying to figure out who is doing what to whom, and why. I agree with Joan on that.

But, the Obama campaign has been playing "the race card" or is it "the race-baiting card" (at this point I'm not sure I can tell the difference) since at least when he lost the NH primary.

In this particular go-round, it was Obama, not McCain, who compared himself to the guys on the dollar bills, so what is that supposed to mean, other than he doesn't wear a powdered wig? Who does nowadays?

As others have said, it's hard to find any criticism of the chosen one that someone somewhere can't twist into a racist slur. An interesting form of censureship.

If you are white, and you use unfair tactics against a black candidate, or level claims against a black candidate that are untrue, you are using racist tactics. It's that simple.

Obama has played the race card over and over and over again. He used it in an effort to bury Hillary - and Bill - Clinton, in one of the most disgraceful campaign episodes ever witnessed in this country. McCain is smart to call Obama on his race baiting tricks at the outset. Hillary couldn't do it, because she would just have been further incinerated by the left (and the media fanboyz). Time to burn the race card once and for all. Obama's already set back race relations in this country a good 20 years. He must be stopped. Period.

I don’t know, why don’t we just lighten up a little bit and take the candidates at face value. They’ve got a pretty daunting job trying to get their message out while trying to cross an eight lane highway with thousands of eighteen wheelers ready to smash’em if they make the slightest mis-step (or perceived mis-step, or almost mis-step, or subliminal mis-step, ad infintum.)

Obama’s reference to “all those Presidents” made me laugh out loud. The image I got in my mind was, I think, exactly the image he was trying to project. First, think of all those intense (dour) looking old guys trying to appear deep in thought, with the world’s problems on their shoulders. Then flash Obama….young, perpetually smiling, relaxed, at ease, skinny, obviously different looking, and big ears. What’s not to like? He wanted it to be light hearted humor…..and it was.

Then we’ve McCain and the two bimbos. Look, McCain’s not a racist, and he’s not smart enough, or quick enough to consider all the nuances Salon readers want to impale him with. In his own clumsy, yet typically authentic way, he was trying to paint Obama as a dippy, airhead, manufactured phenomenon…...not exactly Presidential material. Salon readers may not “get it,” but McCain’s audience sure does.

Is there any charge against Obama that can't be called racist? Anything? Mentioning his Drug use, mentioning his being clean cut, calling him arrogant, showing his picture without it being bright enough, showing him in an unflattering comparison to white, blond women, saying that he's lucky to be who he is, saying that black people vote for him in high numbers, saying that he isn't experienced ,mentioning the phrase "shuck and jive". It's amazing how many code words are out there to cue racists not to vote for Obama. At some point an intelligent person has to see a pattern: Every time anybody attacks Obama in a way that sticks, or even might stick with the public, people pop out of the woodwork to charge that they are racist or race-baiting.

The only question in my mind is: Will the public buy this? Democrats certainly have. I don't know if the rest of the nation.

The accusation of using a "race card" seems inappropriate here. Obama's use of not looking like the currency presidents seeks to differentiate himself from the status quo, to lift himself beyond conventional politics and the weight of history, and offer a glimmer of something never before seen. He's not the usual, the tired, the conventional.

McCain foolishly tries to point towards Obama's popularity as a negative when in fact peoples' overwhelming response and hype about Obama is due to the possibility that 1) he may bring relief to the world threatened and bullied by the United States and 2) relieve the economic/social/authoritarian/foreign policy disasters here at home incubated by the current administration (who's party McCain is a part and supports). It insults the millions and millions who create Obama's "celebrity" by insinuating that their beliefs are empty and misguided when in fact they are responding to the possibility of a turning point. In this sense McCain seems to play straight into Obama's hand by pointing out an obvious positive: Obama has reached celebrity levels because what he offers the United States and the world is so essential and needed that he receives support which can rival the magnitude of celebrity even though he is a politician. He's getting multitudes stoked about repudiating the destructiveness of the last eight years, and it's increasingly clear that this is a mandate that US citizens as well as the citizens of the world demand. I wouldn't be surprised if this unprecedented energy makes McCain shake in his boots and it's funny to watch the attack ads reinforce the trend of change (no matter how cheesy that sounds).